


The Ruins of Mischief

by Thistlerose



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Gen, Gen Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-13
Updated: 2010-09-13
Packaged: 2017-10-11 18:18:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/115473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thistlerose/pseuds/Thistlerose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Faith is finally <i>the</i> Slayer, not just <i>a</i>.  (Coincides with the end of BtVS Season 5.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ruins of Mischief

Faith knew the exact moment that Buffy died. She was dreaming about running through the desert, her thick-soled boots kicking up rust-colored sparks. Then she was standing over Buffy, who lay sprawled on a heap of broken concrete.

She was smiling serenely, but she sounded somewhat plaintive when she said, "It's hard, you know."

"What?" said Faith. "Living in this world?"

"No," Buffy said. "The ground." Her eyes closed. "Tag. You're it."

Then Faith woke up.

 

There was a light shining in her face, and for a stupid moment Faith thought it had something to do with Buffy. But then she blinked, and the iron bars were there, cutting up the light, which was from the guard tower across the courtyard. It was just before dawn. Faith didn't have a clock, but she knew.

She rolled off her cot and went to splash some cold water in her face.

 _I'm the Slayer,_ she thought. _The Slayer. Not just a._

She wished she had a cigarette.

She wished she had someone to beat up.

She pushed the heels of her palms against her forehead and tried not to scream.

 

She remembered Nina, her Watcher, who'd had eyes like black cherries, and who'd sat cross-legged on the floor of her Boston studio and lit an herbal cigarette while she told Faith what she was. What they both were.

"Why the hell do I need a Watcher?" Faith had said. "I can watch myself. Always have."

"You're young," said Nina. "This is all new to you."

Faith had stuck her hands in her pockets and lifted her chin. "Way I see it," she'd said, secretly digging Nina's accent and purple leather, but determined not to show it, "I see a guy with a bumpy forehead, I stake him. End of story."

"There are other sorts of demons, with which you won't know how to deal."

"So, I'll learn."

"You're alone, Faith," Nina had said sternly, "in a world you don't know."

"I ain't alone. What about that other Slayer?"

 

The memory faded and Faith noticed that her cheeks were stinging. She'd dragged her nails down them, she realized. Her fingers were now at her throat, either searching for a pulse or trying to cut off her air. She'd have bruises, she knew.

Faith lowered her hands, leaned against the wall. She glanced at the window. It was hard to tell, due to the glare from the guard tower, but she thought the sky was lightening. The vampires would all be going to bed.

"Vamps go to bed, the Slayer's dead," muttered Faith. " _A_ Slayer. Vamps go to bed, a Slayer's dead, still got demons in my head."

One of them said, _It's what you wanted, right?_

"Shut up," said Faith. "I'm the Slayer. I can take you."

The demons were quiet.

She was alone.

2/25/2008

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] The Ruins of Mischief](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1388038) by [argentumlupine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/argentumlupine/pseuds/argentumlupine)




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